#love

My power lies in my passion. I am working with the above affirmation this morning. It feels amazing. It draws forth the best parts of me. I got this from my coach. Borrowing it, using it, and rocking it. My power lies in my passion. It reminds me of who I am and also, where I want to go. It also helps me help others. Because that is my passion. I love to share what I love. I often tell stories of my delight at a new food [keto-friendly ice creams], what my dog or cats are up to, or how I am learning and growing...for example; my favorite new podcast or book and what I loved about it. Sharing our passions is what makes us-US. We can all have the same experience, but we all experience differently. You create the story you want to hold. I want you lovelies to remember you have power. In your passions, in your mind, in your body. You are in charge. How you experience things is up to you. How you command your actions, your thoughts, your beliefs, your habits, your reality, even your body...is up to you. If you don't feel this now...that's okay...try an experiment...try telling yourself a different story. This will change your mindset which will change your reality. If trying experiments like this are your thing or if they make you curious--you should totally join my secret Facebook group. It's called 'Tiny Drops to Start a Ripples'. It's a place where we share resources, practices, celebrations and challenges on the tiny little practices we work on each day to start big ripples in our lives. I post a quest on there around once a week and we share our thoughts, what is working for us, and big a-ha's [...]

Our Shadow side comes forward to allow us to heal deeply. I have seen the best, most loving, most vulnerable and the absolute worst, hateful, and fearful people this week. These past few weeks, between the lunar eclipse on the Full Moon (August 7, 2017) and the upcoming Great American Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017 have really exposed our shadow side here in the US. And not in just what the goings on in our world, but also as individuals within our own space and person. What shadow has been peeking through lately? Has it been showing up as frustration, anger, fear, isolation, or avoidance behaviors with yourself or others. Shadow is coming up now because it is ready to be healed. You might be feeling a finality and/or a total intolerance for behaviors or patterns that normally you’d just let go by. This is healing. Enough is enough. You are now ready to say, “What can I do?” “What needs to change for me and those close to me?” “How do I move forward with more courage, love, and compassion?” These are awesome questions. ALWAYS. They are really crying out to be worked with now. This is what an eclipse does. It is a catalyst and exposer. It shows us what isn’t working and collapses it. Healing shadow is deep and tough work. Dude, I know. We like to keep that shiz buried and we don’t even want to acknowledge how it shows up in our selves. It’s shows up in our negative self-talk, our greed, our anger, our ignorance, and in our avoidance. We pretend we didn’t hear that comment. We avoid that tough conversation with our neighbor about them ignoring the boundaries and rules of our community. We allow things to happen that are not in [...]

My old friend came to visit for a few days. Wow! You know how awesome that is? We haven't even been in close touch over the last 20 years. But when you're friends, you're friends, right? Her husband thought she was crazy to even suggest coming to visit. Very confusing to both of us, we thought nothing of it. Making close friends and keeping them is hard in our busy and often far apart lives. I kinda forgot how awesome it was to have someone that just gets you, that you have a ton of shared memories with, that you have similar interests, values, and outlooks with. Hard to do today, right? It was curious to see my 20-year younger self through the lens of seeing her again. To remember things about myself and what I love and who I am and how much of that person is still there. And then to reflect on that as I plan and create what's next for me is super empowering and strong. Remembering who you are assists you in rising to what's next for you. I loved hearing about how her life has unfolded and become blessed. It renewed me and my endeavors. Looking back always has me feeling vulnerable. Who you were. Your choices. Your mistakes. Your heartbreaks and old flames. All of this is in your face with old friends, but you know what all those things are: lessons, joys, embarrassment, and beauty. We all have them. The good and the bad. This is the great thing about true friends who get you and love you no matter what crazy shiz you're up to. It's harder to find these close friends who you know this well as we get older. I found this great article on 9 ways to catch [...]

I love words. I especially love the exploration of words of a different language. What other people call things is intriguing to me. Do you all have this fascination as well? Comment below with your favorite word or phrase from another language. Dust bunnies. You know those little bits of yuck...hair, dust, skin flakes (yikes!) and goodness knows what else, gathering under beds and in dark corners. What a constant nuisance. Can't someone event a dust bunny buster? Or declare a no gathering zone? I'd love it. Spring is just about here, so Spring Cleaning is on my mind. I am going to dig in and prep and enliven my home for the coming of the light and beauty that the newness Spring brings. There will be dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing, cleaning....and then clearing, smudging, and blessing the energy of the house. Yes, sage will be involved, as well as salt, fire, and water. So, what do you think they call dust bunnies in other places? Here's some info from Wikipedia: In Danish they are called "nullermænd" ("nuller-" from the verb "nulre", meaning to move something between one's fingers, and "-mænd" meaning "men") In Finnish they are called "villakoira" (meaning: wool dog) after the language's nickname for the actual dog breed poodle In French they are called "moutons" (meaning: sheep) In German they are called "Wollmäuse" (meaning: wool mice) In Hungarian they are called "porcica" (meaning: dust cat) In Norwegian they are called "hybelkaniner" (meaning: "lodging bunnies") In Polish they are called "koty" (meaning: cats) In Portuguese they are called "cotão". The Scots word is "oose" In Spanish they are called "pelusa". In Swedish they are called "dammråttor" (meaning: dust rats). Cats, bunnies, rats, sheep...seems like everyone knows of these little guys. Not sure if I understand the Danish 'moving men'...unless [...]

A game? Sounds fun, huh? Sounds needed. Sounds like it might help move things out of the density that seems to have its claws dug in deep lately. There's a so much going on in the world that things seem to be magnified and more emotional than EVER. I feel overwhelmed and don't know where to begin to do....um, anything!? In a way I feel like that I should ONLY be focused on fighting, standing up, and showing up. Reading and educating myself on what the most important things are right now. Where to go and what to do. What to say and how to respond. And yet... I still need to take care of myself and my loved ones. I still need to work and do chores. I still need to find beauty and love in the world. I still need to do the work that is for me to do. I can't do it all. Nor can you. Everything is up right now. We are being called in BIG ways to really show up and create the ways in which we want to be in this world and with each other. How are we going to do that? Nothing changes without challenge. Well, we have our challenge now...so what are we gonna do with it? So far I have been thinking of the big picture- of what is happening in the larger world. But truly change happens within each of us first. The growth and progression that needs to be brought forward can't come forth unless we break out of our ruts and find some real true motivation. So let's start with where we are and who we are. This game (which I'll tell you about in a minute) is to find and nurture the things that makes [...]

I just returned from two weeks of spiritual travel in Egypt. I was joined about fourteen other fellow seekers/healers/travelers sailing down the Nile stopping daily at a different sacred site for a intense & most of the time private visit filled with special intentions & healing. I felt a total immersion of myself...meaning all parts of me were activated during this trip- my physical, emotional, spiritual & mental. It was a ton to process- I still am. I felt the sacred ancient sites in my whole body. It is amazing to feel each of the temples and how they are all different. The experiences I had in Egypt were powerful, big & awesome (in the truest sense of the word). I am having a hard time finding the best words to describe the trip when I am asked. So I created this list of moments that will allow you to peek into the wonderful parts of Egypt and its people that I experienced. hearing the call to prayers spread across Cairo & feel the chills down my spine-- every time! Egyptian children practicing their American "Hello!" <with gusto> & then giggling shyly when you replied back toning our voices together in amazing ways in the temples the full belly laughs with Sameh, our Egyptologist & guide the constant smiles singing disco tunes on our camel ride on the Giza plateau the majesty of the Nile-deep, nourishing & immense a guard in the temple kissing my hand in a blessing of thanks learning the art of Egyptian haggling & loving the fun of it the bigness of everything- the sites, the Nile, the people's hearts & my emotions the return boat from Elephantine Island when the boat captain & crew sang & drummed as the Sun set on the Nile understanding [...]

Hello dear ones! On this blustery Samhain (pronounced sau-win) I thought I'd share a wee couple of poems I recently scribbled. ------------- a shout from the wind and all the leaves jump from the tree and run across the lawn to safe harbor at every nook they can put themselves. --------------- the trees celebrate the close of the season with a burst of confetti before retiring for the long winter's rest. -------------- Now I'm off to sit in the front of the fire & enjoy All Hallows' Eve. Hope you do too!

We all have those little gremlins lurking in our heads, telling us all that we didn't do or that we screwed up or that we left that out or we just generally suck. What can we do to stop that gremlin?! What can we do to change the wiring in our heads that leads to that tape of negative self-talk playing over and over and over? It is a hard thing to change, especially if it is a regular way of thinking for you. I fell into it in certain situations and places--UNTIL I decided that I was going to CHANGE! I decided I didn't always want be judging, complaining and whining in my head. I wanted to have better thoughts. I wanted to have joy in my life. I wanted to feel as much as joy as I could. So I practiced. At first it was really hard and I sucked at it. The gremlins still got me. Ran me through the ringer. I kept on that treadmill---playing that same old tape about how bad this is, how that guy is so lazy, how she doesn't do what she is supposed to do, how they keep showing up with the same questions and on and on. I was complaining about everyone and then about myself. UGH! Painful. All of this in my head. Hurting me. I kept trying, kept practicing and I wrangled up some new ways to trap those gremlins and send them off to Pluto. I changed the tape through silly games. Guess what? Silly games, work. You might laugh. I might seem shallow. I might seem focused on the petty, but you know what my games keep me positive and have trained me out of the negative self-talk and complaining habit. So my games, if that [...]

Did you know the Cherokee believe trees to be great communicators of vibration between all things living on the Earth and the Stars? The White Pine in particular is held very sacred in the Cherokee culture. They believe it communicates deep vibrations from the Earth into the atmosphere where we become entrained to those sacred vibrations. They believe the White Pine is a symbol of life and that it can transmute aggression to peace. I say we call on these pine trees and all trees to aid the Earth and its people to move toward peace. Our beautiful planet Earth is a network of meridians and grids that mirror our physical body. Everything-- plants, trees, seeds, water, people, dogs, insects, radishes have a system of lines of energy--meridians, channels, centers, grids and points of connection and flow. It is these systems or networks of energy that allow subtle (and powerful) forms of vibration to communicate within and between all things. I love thinking of trees as transmitters of vibration between the Earth, Stars and Us. So beautiful. And if you look at the very top of pine trees...they do look like antenna! The Cherokee also have a knowledge of their physical energy system. They believe that many of the energies flow through their navel. Sound being a major energy that begins it all. First there is sound before anything comes into being. From emptiness to sound. All of your intentions begin this way. When you first have an intention--it is super important to state it out loud. Then gain knowledge around it (wisdom) and from wisdom to love...or action as I would put it. You go for it! Possibly we can state our intention for a movement to peace to the trees, calling on them for their assistance in transmitting [...]

...then something will always be missing. When you live from a place of ‘having’ instead of ‘wanting’, ‘needing’, ‘lacking’ or ‘worrying’ -you are not living in the NOW and from a place of knowing that you really have all you need. Changing the way you think about things can shift your whole outlook to be one of contentment in the moment and being grateful for what is. This takes practice, but it is an exercise I have recently been experimenting with and it has been truly powerful. I feel less burdened. I feel like I have more time since I am not thinking about the past or what it is I have to do or go buy or need to do to fill in that moment. I drop inside often and discover that, “Wait, I don’t really need to go buy that I have this I can use.” Or I might realize it is not even something I really want. What do you like to practice to keep you in the ‘now’?